This is where I allow my DD to do things like;
Front-end estimation is a stupid skill. While I agree that ESTIMATION is a useful skill, particularly for estimating line items in budgets and for checking results of longer calculations-- a more useful one for fourth grade would be to teach that there are alternative ways of doing rapid computations to arrive at approximate answers in a hurry. That's not estimation. That's rough calculation. Why would you call estimation anything BUT "rough calculation" anyway? "Front-end" implies that there might be a counter-example of "back-end estimation." What possible purpose would such an asinine concept serve, anyway? 'I have calculated that I shall require $473.89 to pay my bill. Therefore, back-end estimation suggests that I shall require $470, whereas front-end estimates would place this value at $475.' See? Stupid. Why bother? Is this math for people that find adding 301.00 172.89 to be "too hard?"
But I'm a bad parent, and I've encouraged DD's snarky and irreverent side to an unhealthy degree, probably.
